About Domaine Grand Cros
A family estate in the heart of Provence. Thirty-five years of making wine, managing the land, and opening the gates to guests from around the world. Nothing about that has changed. The estate is still run the same way it always has been. The wines are still made here. The table is still set.
Our Story in Numbers
1989
Family founded
A Provence estate built slowly, and still family run.
30 hectares
Under Vine
Planted in the foothills, among pines & olive groves.
200 000 bottles
Estate bottled each year
Made with close attention to detail.
30 weddings
Hosted each season
Few dates. Fully private. Carefully run.
How It Started
Jane and Hugh Faulkner acquired Le Grand Cros in 1989 without any serious winemaking ambitions. Within their first year, the estate won four gold medals from France's two most prestigious wine competitions. The result was unexpected. Their oenologist was not. He persuaded them to bottle the wine rather than sell it in bulk, which was the standard practice in Provence at the time.
Jane created the labels. With no particular plan and a great deal of good fortune, the Faulkner family found themselves in the business of making and selling wine. The estate has not looked back since.
The Estate Today
Julian Faulkner took over from his parents a decade after the estate was founded and has spent the last twenty years developing what Provence rosé can be as a fine wine. The focus has been on complexity, character, and distinctiveness rather than volume. The result is a range that has been recognised by Decanter, Jancis Robinson, and the Frankfurt International Trophy.
Today Le Grand Cros covers 30 hectares at the foot of the Massif des Maures. Twenty-four hectares are under vine, producing rosé, white, red, and sparkling wines across the Côtes de Provence appellation. Five hundred olive trees produce oil and vinegar on site. The estate holds HVE certification, France's highest environmental standard for agricultural land, and has been operating a sustainability programme since 2002.
Over 3 million euros has been invested since 2015 in new winery equipment, bottling infrastructure, and new vine planting. The estate is also developing a collection of eco lodges in partnership with ÖÖD, with planning approval in the works. The work continues.
The Place
Le Grand Cros sits on the edge of Carnoules, a village in the Var whose natural surroundings, cultural heritage, and railway history give it an atmosphere that is difficult to find elsewhere in Provence. The estate lies between the village and the open countryside, surrounded by ancient forests, pine woodland, and the dry stone restanque walls that define the terraced landscape of this part of the South of France.
The 8,000m² of gardens and parkland at the heart of the estate are home to century-old olive trees, a private pool, terraces, and a 400m² marquee. Guests arrive for weddings, corporate retreats, wine tours, and private stays. Events - from live music evenings to art and wine nights in the cellar - bring the estate to life throughout the year. It is a place that works hard and wears it quietly.
The Faulkner Family
Hugh and Jane Faulkner came to Le Grand Cros looking for a home in Provence. What they found was an estate that had something to say. Jane's artistic instincts shaped the look of the wines from the beginning, her label designs still defining the range today. Hugh restored the olive groves that now produce the estate's oil and vinegar.
Julian grew up with the estate and took it on with a clear purpose. The wines he has built over twenty years sit comfortably in fine dining rooms across more than twenty countries. The approach has not changed: make something worth making, look after the land, and let the work speak for itself.
